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Motifs
Definition of Personification
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the... read full definition
Personification
Explanation and Analysis—The Whispers:
Personification is a very important literary device in "The Rocking-Horse Winner," the most important examples of which are the house and the objects within. The house, in particular, is given a voice and human intentions, representing the societal pressures posed by materialism and greed:
And so the house came to be haunted by the unspoken phrase: There must be more money! There must be more money! The children could hear it all the time, though nobody ever said it aloud. They heard it at Christmas, when the expensive and splendid toys filled the nursery. Behind the shining modern rocking-horse, behind the smart doll's house, a voice would start whispering: There must be more money! There must be more money!
The house takes on a voice with distinctly human motivations in this passage, encouraging the family to pursue their greedier instincts through a Satan-like influence. Other objects in the house are personified as well, thus amplifying the voice:
[The voice] came whispering from the springs of the still-swaying rocking-horse, and even the horse, bending its wooden, champing head, heard it. The big doll, sitting so pink and smirking in her new pram, could hear it quite plainly, and seemed to be smirking all the more self-consciously because of it.
In the above passage, personification seems to infect the other objects in the house, spreading like some kind of disease. As objects take on human abilities like speech, they also demonstrate baser and uglier human instincts like greed and excessive materialism. The whispers generated by these personified objects are what drive Paul and Hester's increasing urge to acquire money, ultimately leading to Paul's untimely death. By using personification in this manner, Lawrence highlights the evil that can come from paying undue attention to those greedy, baser human instincts.
Related Themes:
